Tag Archives: obama

Fashion Fun Friday: The Tan Suit

Posted in Communications, Fashion by

I’ve said this before, and I’m saying it again… What we wear makes a tremendous impact on how others perceive us. This point was proven in spades this week with President Obama and his #TanSuit which exploded over Twitter yesterday – to the tune of over 14,000 tweets at the time of writing this blog! Here’s a few that stood out:

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From being compared to an insurance salesman to the creation of parody accounts @BarackTanSuit, @ObamaTanSuit and @Obamas_Tan_Suit within 10 minutes of his speaking, Obama’s choice to wear the light-coloured suit while discussing the military conflicts in Iraq, Syria, and Ukraine underminded the seriousness of the subject matter. Twiterverse’s reaction to the tan suit is now the subject of much discussion with media outlets such as CNN, Time and the Washington Post.

While funny, these comments are a strong reminder that the suit really can ‘make the man’ and what we wear matters. The impact of Obama’s message was overshadowed by his tan suit. Here’s something for you to consider the next time you are getting dressed: If the President of the United States’ message got lost among the tan suit chatter, how will your message fair?

 

The Selfie Generation

Posted in Communications by

Selfies have been getting a lot of attention these days. So much so that the term was named word of the year for 2013 by the Oxford Dictionary, defined as “a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.”

Last week US President Obama made headlines as he was photographed taking a selfie with British Prime Minister David Cameron and Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt during Nelson Mandela’s memorial service. And earlier this month, a women posted a selfie with a suicidal man being talked out of jumping off a bridge in Brooklyn.

Have we become a self-obsessed country? It seems that we love to snap quick photos of ourselves and share them with our friends – because there is no way they’re tired of looking at us right? Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have contributed to the growing narcissism that has taken over the Internet. These social sharing sites are now infamous for being hubs of egotism and self-promotion, acting as the perfect means for advertising ourselves to those around us.

I’m certainly not suggesting that I have never shared a selfie. But in a time where selfies are seemingly getting out of control, I’d say it’s time for a little selfie etiquette:

  • If you get the sudden urge to snap a selfie, don’t be oblivious to your surroundings because everything in your photo is being scrutinized.
  • It is not acceptable to snap a selfie in the midst of another person’s tragedy. Not. Ever.
    This means funerals, car accidents, suicides or anything else that has devastated another person’s life.
  • Do snap a selfie to mock yourself… we’d all love to laugh at, er I mean with, you.
  • Do take a selfie to share you happiest moments with your friends who live far away.
  • Only post the best one out of the bunch.  Nobody wants to imagine you posing a million times to get that one shot.  Let us believe that you got it effortlessly on the first try.